


Birthday Surprise

by madeleone



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-08
Updated: 2012-04-08
Packaged: 2017-11-03 07:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/378795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeleone/pseuds/madeleone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble series written for Severus Birthday, posted 2012</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little drabble series I wrote for Severus' birthday. Originally posted at the LJ com: One_Bad_Man. It was also posted at LJ comm: Granger/Snape_100. Happy Birthday Severus!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

 

 

Birthday Surprise

 

Severus stared miserably at the blowing snow. The wind howled and the blizzard showed no signs of abating anytime soon. Unfortunately, all the magic in the world could not control the weather.

 

Blast it all to hell! He'd had such plans for tonight. He'd procured a couple bottles of a superb vintage from Lucius' cellars. He'd even brought a sumptuous meal of her favorites, carefully prepared and preserved with a stasis charm, including a dessert of chocolate layer cake. Yes, even though it was the ninth of January, and his birthday, he'd planned the evening carefully just to please her.

 

~*~

 

He'd spent many birthdays alone in his past and it had never bothered him a bit. But then she'd pushed her way into his life and simply refused to leave. She'd been with him for the last nine years, he'd simply assumed she'd be here tonight. She always made it a point of planning clever little surprises, special gifts, his favorite treats. Of course she'd had no way of knowing that the very day she was supposed to return from her extended holiday trip to visit her parents in Australia would be the day of the biggest snowstorm in decades.

 

~*~

 

Although Severus was Headmaster again, he'd long since sold Spinners End and now kept this cottage in the Highlands as his private sanctuary. He and Hermione often escaped here for a weekend or for holidays. They guarded their privacy doggedly, there was no Floo access, and the location was known by few: Lucius, Potter, Minerva.

 

He'd been planning this night for weeks and now because of the buggering blizzard it was all ruined. He popped the cork on Lucius' wine. Might as well toast himself on his birthday, he thought glumly, as he raised the glass to take a drink.

 

~*~

 

Severus cocked his head to one side, what was that noise? He felt his wards shift and heard someone or something stomping about outside his door. Wand in hand he stalked to the door and jerked it open.

 

There stood Hermione, covered head to foot in snow. It was embedded in her hat, her scarf, her mittens, her coat. Bits of her hair had escaped and there were icicles hanging from the ends. Her nose was red, her lips were blue and her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn't speak. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

 

~*~

 

“H...Hap...Hap...py B...B...Birthday S...S...Sev...verus.”

 

Jerking her inside he dragged her over by the fire and cast warming charms as he stripped off the cold, wet things. He conjured a warm foot bath, wrapped her in a blanket and brought her a mug of steaming tea.

 

Then the ranting started. “Are you fucking INSANE, woman? By all that's holy, what were you thinking? Did you bother to think at all? You could have frozen out there,” he roared.

 

She looked at him and said so quietly he could barely hear, “It's your birthday, Severus. I couldn't miss your birthday.”

 

~*~

 

“Arrrrggggh....!” He continued to rage for a full five minutes.

 

Finally when he stopped for breath she stood and threw off the blanket. “Do you want me to leave, then?”

 

“No, of course I don't bloody want you to leave, you silly witch.” Sitting on the sofa, Severus pulled her onto his lap. He vanished the foot bath as he gently dried her feet and Accio'd her warm fluffy slippers.

 

He held her close for several minutes before he finally spoke, more calmly now, “I'm very happy you're here, love. But you shouldn't have risked it.”

 

~*~

 

“Severus, it wasn't as bad as it looked,” she lied. She then explained how she'd got back to London only to find all the transportation north was closed. No Hogwarts Express, no Knight Bus, no Portkeys.

She'd Floo'd from Grimmauld Place to Harry's home in Godrick's Hollow, then somehow she'd convinced Harry to fly her north.

 

“Fly? Fly, as on a broom? You hate brooms...and you hate flying.”

 

“Yes, I do, but I love you. I didn't want to miss your birthday.”

 

“Hermione...” he muttered softly, nuzzling her neck. “You are absolutely barking mad, girl,”

 

~*~

 

She told him of her journey.

 

Conditions worsened near Carlisle. They'd found a wizarding pub with a Floo still open. She'd hopscotched to Glasgow, Aberdeen and then to Braemar. She convinced a Muggle there that she was desperate to get to her elderly auntie who lived all alone up the mountain. He'd brought her on his snowmobile close enough to see the lights of their cottage. Hermione sent him home from there, after carefully altering his memory of exactly where her dear auntie lived.

 

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “What they say is true. You're one scary witch, love.”

 

~*~

 

She kissed him soundly. “Well, determined at least.”

 

Severus' thumb traced her lips. “Why?”

 

“Why, what?”

 

“Why was it so important to get here? Tonight?”

 

She shrugged. “It just was. I love you. I missed you. Australia was too damn far away.”

 

“No argument from me,” he groused.

 

Hermione slipped her fingers inside the shirt she had unbuttoned. “You've spent far too many birthdays alone, Severus. But that will never happen again. We've celebrated the last nine together. I needed to be here for number ten. I brought you a very special gift.”

 

~*~

 

As Severus kissed his way down her throat, Hermione glanced over his shoulder, taking in the scene for the first time since entering the cottage.

 

“Severus, what's all this? Candles, wine, flowers, a lovely dinner?”

 

“I arranged it all before the blizzard blew in. I wanted to show you how much I missed you. But I think your trek through the storm trumps my candlelit dinner.”

 

She felt the sting of tears as her emotions overflowed. “This coming from the man who told me early-on in this relationship never to expect any 'foolish romantic folderal' from him?”

 

~*~

 

His voice was gruff, “I came to some realizations while you were in Australia.”

 

Slipping off the sofa, he knelt before her. “I never want us to be so far apart again.”

 

Hermione gasped, anticipating his next words.

 

“Will you grant my wish? Will you marry me?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Hours later, cuddled together, Severus whispered, “You've given me everything I could ever want.”

 

“Maybe not everything, love. Remember, I have something special for your birthday.”

 

“There's nothing better than this.”

 

“Are you sure?” She placed his hand over her tummy. “Happy Birthday, Daddy!”

 

~fin~


End file.
